


Begin Again

by SparksSeer



Series: Step By Step [2]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: Bond movies are mentioned, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Date, Flirting, Fluff, Happy Ending, M/M, Post-Episode: s02e01 Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Romance, Talking, deflecting, mild gwen bashing, one or two hints to Big Finish's Broken
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-05
Updated: 2017-10-19
Packaged: 2018-10-15 05:30:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10550878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SparksSeer/pseuds/SparksSeer
Summary: It's the morning after. Jack has stayed the night at Ianto's apartment after the events of 'KKBB'. Jack is flirting with Ianto, and he flirts back, even though he still not entirely sure what to think about Jack's return and their upcoming date.Reading the first part of this series is highly recommended, since this part takes right off where the last part ended.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Part 2 is finally here! I'm uploading this first chapter rather spontanoulsy, so I don't have a beta. English isn't my native language and it's almost midnight as I'm writing this note, so sorry in advance for any mistakes that I missed :')
> 
> This chapter has been sitting on my laptop for a few weeks now, since I hadn't planned on publishing it before the second chapter was done. But since I don't have much time to write these days, I'm struggling to get the second chapter just right and I'm going on vacation for the next 2 1/2 weeks, I decided to just go ahead and upload this chapter before I leave.
> 
> I'm really happy with this chapter, so I hope you'll enjoy it.

Ianto woke up with a yawn and a stiff neck, but for the first time in weeks, he didn’t wake up still tired to the bone. Slowly he opened his eyes and found himself looking at his coffee table and the TV. He slept on the couch, how did he-?

 _Oh. Right._ Jack was back.

The memories from the night before came back immediately. Ianto had offered Jack his couch and then pretty much spilled out his heart and embarrassed himself. He must have fallen asleep on Jack earlier. After they snuggled and watched that annoying morning talk show. _Great._

With a groan he buried his face in the pillow. This wasn’t how he’d imagined Jack’s return. _Oh god, even the pillow still smelled like Jack._

“Good morning, sunshine.”

Startled, Ianto sat up, his eyes immediately finding Jack’s, who was leaning against the doorway, wearing only his pants and a towel draped around his neck. Ianto couldn’t help but stare.

“Like what you see?” Jack grinned at him.

Ianto huffed and rolled his eyes. “How are you even this cheerful this early in the morning?”

“It’s past eleven, Ianto.”

“Oh.” He never slept that late.

Jack chuckled. “Besides, you’re here, and while you could wear less, it’s reason enough for me to be in a good mood.”

Not missing a beat, Ianto threw his pillow at Jack, who caught just before it hit his head. “You’re impossible.”

“I do what I can.” After a moment of silence and with a more sincere expression, Jack asked, “How are you, Ianto?”

Ianto shrugged. It was the same question that Jack had asked him in that office building, and if he was honest with himself, he still didn’t really know how to answer it. “Slept more this night than I probably have all week, so a lot better than I have in a while.”

Jack eyed him suspiciously; it was obvious that Jack knew that Ianto was evading the question. “I’m glad.” He said at last. “Soooo, any chance for that _fantastic_ coffee of yours?”

Relieved that Jack didn’t dwell on his initial question, Ianto grinned. “Well, that definitely took longer for you to ask than I expected.”

“Surely you must have realized that it was in fact your coffee that I missed the most.”

“Obviously.” Ianto replied dryly. Ianto got up and walked over to Jack, stopping in front of him. “Since you feel right at home already,” Ianto gestured to the towel still draped around Jack’s shoulders, “Would you care for some breakfast as well?”

“Sounds perfect to me.”

“Then I hope you still know how to fry some eggs.”

Jack chuckled. “I’m sure I’ll manage.”

“Good. Now get to work, and I’ll be right there to save you from your caffeine withdrawal.”

“Yes, sir!” Jack replied with a mock salute and wandered off to the kitchen, while Ianto made his way to the bathroom. Only moments later he could hear Jack opening and closing cupboards and the clattering of dishes.

 

When Ianto entered the kitchen a few minutes later, Jack was busy on the stove and only acknowledged Ianto with a small smile before turning his attention back to the pan. Ianto noticed with a little disappointment that Jack had decided to put on his trousers and a t-shirt, the towel was discarded on the back of one of the chairs. Ianto shook his head and went over to the coffee machine, determined to make Jack the best coffee he ever had.

A few minutes later, he was rewarded with an almost pornographic moan from Jack.

“God, this is even better than I remember!”

Ianto allowed himself a small smile. “I know.”

“You did something with it, didn’t you?”

He shrugged. “I might have. You first coffee back here should be memorable, shouldn’t it?”

“It already is.” Jack replied with a wink. They ate in silence, both finishing their food rather quickly until they were contently sipping their coffee.

It was then, that Jack cleared his throat. “About last night…”

“I’d rather not talk about it.” Ianto replied, looking at the almost empty cup of coffee in his hands.

The seconds seemed to stretch into minutes, until Jack spoke again. “Okay.”

Ianto glanced up at Jack with mild surprise. “Thanks.”

“So, what did I miss while I was gone? How many times did you have to save the world without me?”

Glad for the change of subject, Ianto quickly launched into telling Jack about the most memorable cases – even though none of them included actually saving the world.

“And how is the team?” Jack eventually asked.

Ianto shrugged. “Well, if you’re asking about whether Tosh is still unsuccessfully trying to get Owen’s attention, than that’s a yes. Owen is either blind or a complete bastard about it. Other than that, you must know by now that Gwen and Rhys got engaged – honestly, she kept rubbing it into our faces at every chance she got for the first week.”

Jack shook his head with an amused smile. “Sounds like them. And you? What have you’ve been up to?”

Ianto let out a snort. “Torchwood kept me busy enough.” At that, Jack raised an eyebrow. “You don’t really think that it was Gwen who kept Torchwood going while you were gone? Not to mention that someone had to keep running Flat Holm in your absence.”

“Well, I guess not. You do know everything about this place, as you keep reminding us.” Jack chuckled.

“Don’t get me wrong, she wasn’t really bad at taking over, but she hasn’t really grasped what it would all entail. I mean, it’s Owen, who gives orders in the field, not Gwen, and when it comes to paperwork she’s almost as bad as you.”

“Hey!”

“Do you deny it, sir?” When Jack didn’t respond and just smiled almost sheepishly, Ianto smirked. “Thought so.”

“So you managed it from the background.”

“It’s my job.”

“And you do it without fault.” Jack agreed. “No wonder you don’t get much sleep.”

“As I said, I’m used to it. And besides, the prime minister always liked me better than you anyway. Which reminds me – your _good old friend Lizzie_ sends her greetings, she wants to talk to you as soon as you’re back.”

“You talked to the Queen? I haven’t seen her in ages.”

“Oh, I even got invited to Buckingham Palace, once she realized that you were ‘away on personal matters’. I don’t think Gwen realized that the Torchwood business I needed to take care of in London was meeting the Queen.” Ianto chuckled to himself.

“You must have loved it!”

“She was rather… impressive I must say.”

Jack expression suddenly turned serious. “And … London? It was your first time back there, wasn’t it?”

“I…” Ianto started but stopped again, momentarily at loss for words. He hadn’t thought that Jack would have remembered or thought of that. And it hadn’t been easy. He had even been thinking about the best way to decline the invitation, and actually returning to the city where he had made so many good memories with friends, with Lisa, only to have them being overwritten by Daleks and Cybermen and conversion units… He swallowed. “I managed… Kept the visit short and avoided … as much as possible.” It felt weird, talking to Jack about that. Never before – besides the obvious time – had he shown any interest in what Ianto had experienced in London.

“It must have been hard for you.”

“My thoughts were preoccupied for the most part anyway. As I said I managed.” He was deflecting. He knew that and he knew that Jack knew as well. He only hoped that Jack would take the hint and stop talking about that particular topic.

Jack watched Ianto carefully and smiled softly.

“I should probably get to work, I heard I have a lot of paper work to catch up with.”

“All sorted and ready on your desk, Jack.”

“Of course it is.”

“You know me. Do you need me to come in?”

“No, no. You enjoy your day off like everyone else and I’ll manage for today.”

“Thanks. You do know though that at least one of them will come to the hub just to check that you’re still there. My bet is on Gwen to show up first.” Ianto said as he stood up from the table and took their plates to the sink to wash them later.

“I’m not leaving again, Ianto.” Jack said seriously.

Ianto froze momentarily. “I know.” He didn’t turn around, but he could feel Jack’s eyes burning into the back of his head.

Moments later, he heard a chair being pushed back. “I better get dressed then.”

Once Jack had left the kitchen, Ianto let out a breath he hadn’t know he was holding. Then he straightened his postured, pushed any thoughts about Jack possibly leaving again or not to the back of his mind and set to make some coffee for Jack to take with him to work.

 

Ianto almost ran into Jack when he left the kitchen and he quickly took a step back, while Jack laughed.

“Sorry.”

“No worries. Thanks for lending me your couch for the night.”

“You’re welcome. And here,” Ianto handed Jack a thermos flask. “Don’t want you going into caffeine withdrawal again.”

“You’re a saint, Jones, Ianto Jones!”

“I do my best. And I want that thermos back, undamaged and untouched by anything alien. I’m serious, Jack.” He added, when a glint appeared in Jack’s eyes. “This is my favourite one, and if anything happens to it, you might not even get decaf for at least a week.”

“I better be careful then.”

“You better.” Ianto replied and held out the coat for jack to slip into. Jack did so and turned to open the door, when Ianto called him back.

“Hm?”

“I’m really glad you’re back.”

“So am I.” Jack briefly touched his hand, before withdrawing it again and stepping out into the hallway. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

_______________

Once the door closed, Ianto felt his feelings that he had held since he woke up this morning wash over and he leaned against the door, closing his eyes and trying to focus on his breathing.

So much has happened again this morning – and not much at all at the same time. Jack was back – he was still here, it hadn’t been one of Ianto’s many dreams about him. Ianto fell asleep on Jack and nothing sexual at all had happened between them and because of that, it felt like _so much more_ , even though Ianto was sure that it shouldn’t feel like that.

They had made breakfast together, which had had a certain domestic feeling about it, Jack hadn’t pressured him to talk about anything that he didn’t want to talk about and Jack had flirted with him while he was almost naked. Ianto smiled at the memories. He really was glad that Jack came back. Oh, he was still angry about the way he left but he somehow couldn’t find it in him to be angry at Jack. He understood, at least he thought he did, and it was obvious that the time away hadn’t done Jack any good. Additionally, Jack did promise to explain it to Ianto eventually and that alone was a rare thing for Captain Jack Harkness to do.

But one question still remained – and it was the one that Ianto was most clueless about – what was this thing between him and Jack?

He was glad that he had the day off and time for himself to hopefully get closer to an answer and maybe even closer to what he could expect from their date. Mentally, he made a list of things that he needed to do today that he had been putting off for a while and questions that needed to be answered, and then he set to work.

 

He took a shower and cleaned his bathroom. Jack was his boss and now that he was back he would continue to be just that. That question was easily answered.

Next on his list was his bedroom. He changed his sheets and made his bed. Laundry was put into the washing machine and he decided that Jack could become someone he could confide to. Jack wanted to confide to him, explain where he went and what happened. He was worried about Ianto, provided comfort when Ianto needed it the night before and hadn’t pressured him into telling him anything he didn’t want to share this morning. He trusted Jack with his life - he might as well try and trust him with his secrets.

Ianto washed the dishes, cleaned the kitchen and thought about if that meant that they were friends. Tosh was his friend. Owen was not quite a friend, but more than just a colleague. Gwen was another matter and not one he would think about now. And Jack? Jack wasn’t Tosh, but Jack was more than what Owen was to him. Jack was … Jack. He couldn’t really explain it yet. He answered the question with a ‘maybe’ and put it off to answer it another time.

He put the blanket and pillow away that he had given Jack the night before and pondered about an old remark about him and Jack. He knew now, that back then, before Jack had left, Owen was probably right, that he really had been just Jack’s part time shag. It was a mutual understanding from the beginning that it was just about sex, about relieving some stress and finding comfort. It had been something both Jack and him had needed at the time, and it was Ianto who had initiated it after all. But things had already begun to change before Jack had left.

When he went out to go grocery shopping and stopped by the dry cleaners, he realized that while they had needed that then, it wasn’t what either of them needed now. Of course, he couldn’t be sure about Jack, but the man had stood almost naked in front of Ianto and hadn’t made a single move except the flirting Ianto knew so well.

Making himself a sandwich for lunch, Ianto finally dared to ask himself the big question – did he want more? And what was more? Was more just Jack being a friend? No, they probably could never be just friends. He still remembered their last kiss very vividly and only thinking about it set shivers down his spine and a warm feeling settled into his stomach. He wanted another kiss like that from Jack - he wanted to feel like that again.

He ate his lunch on the couch with the TV turned on. He fell asleep a little bit later and for an hour he didn’t think about Jack at all.

Ianto woke up and remembered that Jack had asked him out on a date. Maybe that was the only answer he needed. Ianto had agreed to the date. Dating meant a kiss after the first date, holding hands during the second date and if it went well, spending the night together after the third date. It meant going out together, spending time with each other, and it could end in a relationship. It meant texting in the middle of the night, having little private jokes and stupid arguments – in a normal world in the 21st century. He didn’t know what dating Captain Jack Harkness would entail, what dating meant while working at Torchwood Three, but he hoped that at least some of it would still apply to whatever he and Jack would or could be.

He vacuumed his apartment and then sat down in the kitchen with his diary. He wrote it all down, check-marked the questions he had already been able to answer and underlined the question that were still left unanswered.

He decided to make dinner, something homemade and healthy for a change. He chopped vegetables and decided that he didn’t regret agreeing to the date. He peeled potatoes and decided to ask Jack what his reasons were for asking him out. He washed and seasoned a steak and soon his kitchen was filled with a delicious smell. It was then that Ianto decided, that yes, he wanted more. He wanted to be more than a part-time shag, more than just an employee and more than just a possible friend. He knew that it was likely that Jack would never say that they were in a relationship, and that maybe the ‘more’ that Jack was ready to give, wasn’t the ‘more’ Ianto would sometimes wish for. But he wanted every little bit of that ‘more’ he could get from Jack.

After he finished his dinner, he added his conclusions to his diary along with the final question – what would he get? But for now, he didn’t mind leaving that question unanswered. Only time would tell and there were still many pages left in his diary.

_______________

Ianto had just put on a Bond movie (Die Another Day – because who could say no to Pierce Brosnan _and_ Halle Berry?!) and gotten comfortable with a beer on the couch when his phone rang. Slightly annoyed for the interruption he paused the movie and took the call without checking the caller ID.

“Jones.”

“Ianto.”

At the sound of the familiar voice, Ianto immediately stood up, ready to get dressed, if needed. “Jack! Please tell me it’s just some weevils and not some kind of alien invasion threatening to destroy the world.”

“Wow, you’re cheery.” Jack remarked with amusement in his voice. “And don’t worry, nothing has happened, you don’t even have to leave your couch.”

“Oh.” Ianto said and sat back down. “Why did you call then? Are you bored already?”

“That, and I’m wondering when you’re free this week.”

Ianto paused for a moment, a smile spreading on his lips with realization about what Jack was asking him. “So, you’re really… I mean, you’re serious about the date thing then?”

“Yeah.”

Ianto held back a sigh of relief. “Okay.”

“So, I thought this week? When are you free?”

Ianto smiled. “Dunno. I’ll have to ask my boss about that.”

“Do you think he’ll give you Friday night off?” Jack played along and Ianto dared to take another step.

“I think that could be arranged. I’ve been told he has a thing for me, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”

Jack laughed at the other end of the line. “Oh, I’m sure he has. Can’t blame him for it.”

“And what shall I tell my boss what I’m doing Friday night?”

“That’s up to you, but I’ve been thinking about that French place, Park House? And then I heard there’s a new Bond movie out, or have seen that one already?”

“I haven’t had the time. I didn’t realize you were a Bond fan, Jack.” Ianto smirked.

“It’s been a while since I last watched one, but I’ve seen some of the older ones when they first came out.”

“It’s the suits, isn’t it?”

“Oh, definitely.” Jack practically purred and caused Ianto to laugh again.

“The restaurant sounds really good, from what I’ve heard. I’ve never been there.”

“Better wear your best suit then.” Ianto could practical hear Jack’s grin. “They seem to have an excellent wine selection, according to the flyers in the tourist office.”

Ianto laughed at that. “They do.”

“Of course you know that.”

“I kind of wanted to try it for some time now.” Ianto admitted quietly.

“Then I’m glad you agree with my choice. I’ll make reservations for 7.30 on Friday then and I’ll pick you up at seven?”

“Sounds good to me.” Ianto took a breath. “But Jack? Could we … maybe keep this between us for now? Not tell the others?”

“What, afraid they’ll get jealous?” Jack asked, but it was apparent that he was only joking.

“Well, you know how Gwen can get.”

Jack chuckled. “It’s your call, Ianto, when you’re ready.”

“Thanks.” Ianto said honestly.

“You’re thinking too much, Ianto.”

“Unusual circumstances, sir.” Ianto remarked dryly, deflecting once again.

“You’re okay though, right?”

“Yes.”

“Good. I’ll see you tomorrow, bright and early, I assume.”

“Yup.”

“Have a good night, Ianto.”

“Good night, Jack.” Ianto replied softly and hung up the phone. He stared at the phone for a few more minutes, replaying the conversation he just had in his head and letting a warm feeling settle in his stomach. With a smile he shook his head in slight disbelief that out of everyone that Captain Jack Harkness could have asked out on a date, he had asked him.

Ridiculous, he thought not for the first time about this whole situation, and pressed play.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! In chapter 2 Jack is finally taking Ianto out on their date! I'm still working on it and am struggling a bit to get everything just right and how I want it, but I am hoping to be able to update soon after I return from my vacation :)
> 
> I'd love some feedback :)
> 
> You can find me at teaboyofficeboy.tumblr.com


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am terribly sorry for the long wait!  
> I just have been incredibly busy with university and my last exams, I have been away on vacation and several family meet up's AND I MET JOHN BARROWMAN A FEW WEEKS AGO (which I think is a really good excuse for the delay????)  
> (I also got Netflix two weeks ago..........)
> 
> I also struggled a lot with the this chapter and you might notice that I decided to make this story 3 chapters long instead of 2. The reason for that is simply that I didn't want to just jump right to their date (which I am still struggling to get just right). The next chapter - and the actual date - is still in work, but it's almost 3k words long already and the ending is done as well. I just rather update what I've got at the moment than make you wait even longer :) I hope I won't take that long again to update, I hope to be able to post it in August some time.

There was a small smile on Ianto’s face when he entered the hub through the tourist office the next morning at precisely 7am. It was the first real day that Jack was back at work after his almost three months long absence and that alone would have been enough to brighten up his mood just a bit.

But it wasn’t just the fact that their small team was finally complete again, that they had their leader back. It was the prospect of Ianto’s date with Jack date in just three days, it was the fact that they had spent the night together without anything remotely sexual happening between them, and yet feeling like they had been more intimate with each other than ever before. It was just simply Jack who brought that smile on Ianto’s lips this morning, and not even the cold, rainy weather was able to dampen his good mood.

Still smiling, Ianto placed the pastries he brought for the team on the front desk, hung up his coat in the backroom and set to work to open the tourist office for the day, although he doubted that anyone would come in today. It was clear that Jack had looked through their flyers, obviously in search for a fitting restaurant (a flyer with an advert for the restaurant place Jack had ended up choosing still lay on top of a stack of flyers).

Jack was nowhere to be seen when Ianto entered the main area of the hub fifteen minutes later. Even the main lights were still switched off and for a short moment the fear that the past two days hadn’t happened passed through Ianto. Only when he spotted Jack’s familiar RAF coat lying on the couch, he almost sighed in relief. He had told Jack yesterday that he knew that Jack wouldn’t leave again and he believed him, when he told Ianto so, but nevertheless… Ianto shook his head. All was fine. Jack was still here, he hadn’t left them again. Jack was probably still asleep in his bunker.

Leaving the pastries in the small kitchenette, Ianto began cleaning up the mess in the hub from the past two days and noted thankfully that Jack had already taken care of the body of the blow fish and the general mess that John Hart had created. He made a mental note that he would have to remember to arrange for that sports car to be returned to the owner.

Having fed both Myfanwy and Janet and taken care of everything else, it only left Jack’s office. He hung up Jack’s coat and sorted through the paper work that Jack had left on his desk, when he heard Jack moving around in his bunker and moments later the shower starting. Deciding to leave the paper work where it was until Jack had actually finished it all, he went back to the kitchenette and started preparing coffee. He paused for a moment and smiled as he held the blue striped mug in his hands for the first time in three months.

While the coffee brewed and he set pastries for Jack and himself on two plates, Jack joined him in the kitchen, fully dressed and with a smile on his lips.

“Morning, Jack.” Ianto said with neutral voice and a small smile in Jack’s direction, trying his best not to give away how he really felt about Jack looking like _Jack_ , back in the Hub – back at Torchwood.

“Good morning indeed.” Jack said, giving Ianto a once over and a wink.

“Harassment, _sir_.” Ianto replied playfully, accompanied with an eye roll, and handed Jack his mug and his plate.

“Join me for breakfast in my office?”

Ianto nodded and followed Jack. “I noticed you kept your promise and kept my thermos flask alive. Hadn’t expected you to actually clean it as well.” Ianto didn’t mention how thoroughly he inspected it or that even sniffed it to be completely sure that nothing alien had touched it.

“I could hardly risk your wrath and its consequences on my coffee consummation, could I?”

“Nope, not really.” Ianto stated matter-of-factly as he said down in front of Jack’s desk. With a pointed look at the obviously unfinished pile of paperwork, he looked back at Jack and raised an eyebrow.

“Been busy, have you?” He asked mockingly.

“Three months of paper work is a lot to go through!” Jack exclaimed defensively. “You can’t expect me to do it all in one day.”

“So you haven’t changed after all.” Ianto said with a small smile.

“Not when it comes to paper work.” Jack’s voice was light, but his answer bore weight and it didn’t go unnoticed by Ianto. Their eyes locked and what Jack had left unspoken, was transmitted freely now. Ianto pressed his lips together and tilted his head slightly, showing his silent understanding and sympathy.

Silence settled between them while they sipped their coffee and ate their pastries, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. They both simply enjoyed the company of the other.

“You were right, by the way.” Jack eventually broke the silence.

“I usually am, but about what this time?”

“Both Gwen and Tosh came in yesterday, and I’m pretty sure I saw Tosh email Owen while she was here.”

Ianto chuckled. “Told you so. What were their excuses?”

“Gwen forgot her purse, which – to her credit – actually was true. Tosh apparently needed to check how some of her running programs were affected by the time shift.” Jack chuckled.

“Of course.”

“You’ve been going out on the field more regularly the past few months, haven’t you?”

Ianto nodded, surprised by the sudden change of topic. “It was a necessity.”

“And?”

“At times it was quite a nice change of scenery from the archives, sir. At other times, not so much.”

“Do you want to keep going out on missions?”

Ianto frowned. “Do I need to remind you of that blowfish situation? I couldn’t even shoot it.” His voice was bitter. He just wanted to forget about that. If it hadn’t been for Jack’s sudden appearance, who knew what could have happened? He had been the one in the centre, the one who should have pulled the trigger. And he knew he was a good shot – no, a perfect shot. He had hit Owen precisely where he had meant to after all, all those months ago. But that hostage situation… he hadn’t expected it and he had never been a situation like that before.

“It was a difficult and unusual situation.”

“I was a liability for the team and for the girl.” Ianto countered grimly.

“You weren’t. You didn’t act rashly or thoughtlessly, and those are vital abilities in the field.”

“’Promoted beyond measure’, that’s what it said to me.”

“Are you really gonna listen to a blowfish that was high on drugs?” Jack asked with amusement apparent in his voice. “You know better than that, Ianto. Besides, I trained you personally in shooting a gun – not that you had even needed it back then. I know you wouldn’t have missed, had you gotten the chance to shoot it.”

“If you say so.” Rationally, he knew that Jack was right and he knew that it wasn’t always like this. But at the same time he knew that he wasn’t properly trained for the field, he was general support and in charge of the archives, not much more.

“Think about it, it’s your choice. Besides, you can always request more private training sessions.” Jack said with a wink that made Ianto roll his eyes.

“I’ll think about it.” Ianto answered and stood up, gathering the empty plates and mugs from Jack’s desk.

“Let me know.” Jack replied. Ianto nodded and turned around, walking towards the door, when Jack called him back. “Love the suit, by the way.”

Ianto looked back at him, trying to ignore his heart skipping a beat because of the familiar compliment. “Do I need to add the ‘Harassment at the work place’ formulates to your paperwork?”

“It’s not harassment, if the recipient likes it.” Jack shot back with a sly grin.

“Touché. And since the suit is new, I’d be truly devastated, if it wouldn’t get the attention it deserves.” Ianto replied dryly,

Jack winked at him. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

It was in that moment that the alarm sounded and the cog door opened to let Tosh enter the hub. Ianto took that as cue for him to leave Jack’s office and with a carefully neutral expression went to greet Tosh and make her first coffee of the day.

 

Ianto didn’t have to wait long for Tosh to join him. “How are you?” She asked, concern obvious in her voice.

“Fine. And you?”

“Oh, good, don’t worry. But I haven’t seen you since … all that business with that John Hart.” Tosh’s voice was soft and calm. Ianto didn’t turn around to face Tosh, but concentrated on getting her coffee just right. Of course, she would ask him about Jack and be worried about Ianto. After all, she had been the one who had seen through Ianto’s mask after Jack had left and had asked the right questions about the kiss between Jack and him a few months ago.  But that didn’t change the fact that he wanted to talk to her about it now.

“We all had the day off. I didn’t realize we were supposed to meet up?” He tried to sound nonchalant, but he knew he didn’t quite succeed.

“No, but you know what I mean, Ianto.”

Ianto ignored Tosh’s unspoken question. “You went to check up on Jack.”

“I had some programs to check.” Ianto turned to Tosh and raised an eyebrow. Tosh shrugged. “So? And you didn’t?”

“No.” He said and handed Tosh her coffee and a pastry.

“Oh.” Tosh seemed to be taken aback. ”Have you talked?”

“We did, I just brought him his coffee, Tosh. It would have been weird not to talk to each other.” He shrugged and smiled slightly.

“Ianto! You know exactly what I mean!”

Ianto sighed. Of course he knew what Tosh wanted to know. She had been the one to offer Ianto comfort during the last couple of months and she was easily his best friend by now. He felt a bit bad about lying to her now, but he wasn’t ready to discuss the newest developments between him and Jack, not even with Tosh. “Look, Tosh, Jack dropped me off at my apartment that night and I haven’t seen him until this morning. That’s it.” Really, it was only half a lie, he had just left out the part that Jack had actually stayed the night…

Tosh rested her hand on his arm, sympathy shining in her eyes. “And has he said anything about why he left?”

Ianto shrugged. “Not really. And stop worrying about me, Tosh.” He gave a soft smile. “It’s good that he’s back, and anything else doesn’t matter right now.”

Tosh nodded. “Just … take care, alright? If you want to talk...”

Ianto nodded. “Yeah, thanks.”

“And thanks for the coffee.”

He smiled warmly at her. “You’re welcome.”

 

The rest of the day went by slowly, no rift alerts, no weevil sightings. Owen came in late as always, but it didn’t go unnoticed by Ianto that throughout the day his eyes would keep wandering back over to Jack’s office. Gwen came in not much later than Tosh, thanking Ianto for her coffee and asking him, if he came home alright that night. She kept finding reasons to talk to Jack, positively (to Ianto’s annoyance) keeping him from doing his paperwork. Tosh’s eyes seemed to follow him whenever he and Jack were in the same room and several times during the morning he felt Jack’s gaze on him, until eventually Ianto escaped to the security of his archives and only came back out for lunch.

It was past 8pm, when Ianto finished filing the stack of files from 1956 that he’d been working on for the past week. Jack was on the phone, listening to the other person on the line with an annoyed expression, when Ianto went back up to the Hub to tell Jack he was leaving. As soon as he entered Jack’s office with a mug of coffee, Jack looked up and sent him a brilliant smile.

“Do you need anything, before I leave?” He asked and placed the mug in front of Jack.

Covering the end of the phone, Jack answered, “No, I’m fine. Unless you could talk to UNIT for me?”

“I’m afraid, that’s not something I can help you with, _sir_.”

“Dammit!” Jack replied and then sighed, turning his attention back to something the other caller said. “Yes, I’m listening. No, obviously not!”

“I’ll see you tomorrow then.” Ianto said quietly, and Jack smiled and nodded.

 

Thursday wasn’t much different than the day before. Ianto hid mostly in the archives, Tosh tried to get him to talk once again and Gwen and Jack had at least one more confrontation (that he knew of, and only because it happened right before their lunch break) about Jack’s absence and leadership. There was a false weevil sighting, but the rift had stayed quiet the whole day. Jack was still catching up with the paper work and making phone calls to different authorities. Ianto went home before 8pm that night and caught up with his reading, intending to keep his mind distracted from his date with Jack the next day.

Jack had told him Friday morning, when Ianto had brought him his first coffee, that he had made the reservations both for the restaurant and the movie. Ianto had just stared at Jack for a moment, before he could feel his face literally brighten up, his anxiety about the evening momentarily forgotten and replaced with anticipation. He still didn’t regret saying yes to the date, and Jack really seemed to make an effort to make it up for Ianto. Jack’s grin to Ianto’s slightly stuttered “I’m looking forward to it, Jack,” was truly brilliant.

 

The morning passed by slowly. The date was a constant presence in Ianto’s mind. He was nervous, he fiddled more with his cufflinks than he usually did (he really needed to get rid of that habit) and spent most of the day in the tourist office, away from the rest of the team. He’d never been on a date with a man and much less so with one Captain Jack Harkness. And while they did have sex in the past, sometimes even spent the whole night together and had their fair share of meals together, none of them were loaded with so much _more_. None of these occasions had ever qualified as a date - not even if Ianto sometimes had wished they were.

Ianto was almost relieved, when the rift alert went off in the middle of their late lunch break, showing rift spikes at several different locations and therefore offering Ianto the distraction he needed. Thankfully, the rift spikes weren’t big and indicated that mostly likely only some rift junk or alien tech fell through. Quickly, the team finished their lunch, while Ianto got the SUV ready for them. A few minutes later the team drove off, with Ianto staying behind and coordinating them. Ianto sent them around in the greater Cardiff area, and each time all they would find was pieces rift junk. Tosh guessed that they were parts of a crashed spaceship (her glee about that was noticeable even through the comms)

It was only when Ianto had to send the team to the location of the last rift spike that he started to worry. The last piece of rift junk was not only too big to bring it back to the hub in the SUV, but it had also landed on an open field and a bunch of kids from a riding school close by had found it and started to poke around. The only good thing apparently was that Tosh was now sure that all the different parts really did belong to a spaceship. But all that meant that they had to call UNIT for assistance, come up with a good cover story and possibly retcon the kids and their instructor, while also making sure that that particular part of the spaceship was safe to transport. It was more time consuming than difficult, but it was getting late and they had dinner reservations at 7.30.

Ianto knew that they had set the date with the rift in mind and he knew from the very beginning that there had been the chance the rift wouldn’t be quiet. Still, he was disappointed and at this point it really didn’t look good.

 

Ianto couldn’t help himself but jump in surprise, when his phone rang. Quickly, he answered it. “Jack?” He asked, confused. “Everything alright?”

“Ianto! Oh yeah. Looks like it’s part of the engine. UNIT’s just got here.”

“Okay… good?” Ianto said slowly, still in the dark about why Jack had called him instead of just using the comms.

“Listen, once we’ve dealt with UNIT and the kids and are on our way back to the hub, go home. We can handle the rest ourselves. Get ready for later and I’ll pick you up around seven.”

He was stunned for a moment. “I… We could go another time. We knew the rift could interrupt our… plans.” He knew that he sounded disappointed, but that was just Torchwood. He should be used to it.

“Ianto.”

“Jack.”

“I’ll be at your place at seven. I promise. We’re not cancelling our date, alright?”

“Are you sure?”

Jack didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”

Surprised by the determination in Jack’s voice, Ianto replied, “Okay.”

“Good. Relax. You’ll be with the captain, I’ll be great!”

“You really are sure of yourself, aren’t you?”

“It’s the-”

“Jawline, I know.” Ianto rolled his eyes, a smile tugging on his lips.

“Hey, don’t go stealing my lines, Jones, Ianto Jones!” Jack exclaimed. “Oh, wait a sec. Yes, Owen, I’m coming! Sorry, gotta go. I’ll let you know via the comms in a bit what the status is.”

“Yeah. And thanks Jack.” Ianto added softly.

“Hey, but don’t go tell people or else they might think I play favourites by letting you go earlier!”

“And we wouldn’t want that now, would we?”

“Nope. See you later.”

“Yeah.” Ianto ended the call with a smile. Jack didn’t want to cancel their date. That fact made Ianto’s heart flutter, and he waited impatiently for the call that the team would be on their way back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for sticking around and reading!  
> As I said at the beginning, I've been struggling with this chapter a bit. I've read over it soooo many times and every time I found something that I wasn't happy with and wanted to change. I'm still not entirely sure about the conversations between Ianto and Jack and Ianto and Tosh at the beginning, but I felt the need for some sort of conversation between them at this point of the story.... and maybe this is all a tiny bit ooc for Jack but at this point I could probably recite this chapter by heart and I really can't tell anymore.  
> I do hope you like it anyways and I would really love some feedback and hear what you think, even if this is more or less just a filler chapter :) xxx
> 
> I'm on tumblr: [teaboyofficeboy](http://teaboyofficeboy.tumblr.com/)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why yes, this was supposed to be two chapters long, but now it says Chapter 3 of 4? This is the last chapter! But - I decided that the scene that was originally the last scene of this chapter would work better as an epilogue. The epilogue will be uploaded tomorrow, since it's already (as always when I'm uploading my fanfics, apparently) close to midnight.
> 
> I really hope you'll enjoy this chapter. I've working on this since February on a of again, including writing blocks, uni and my internship stressing me out, getting distracted by writing other fanfics, planning NaNoWriMo, ..... the list goes on, but it's finally done! 
> 
> So enjoy Jack being a romantic, discussions about popcorn eating habits, the unusual use of a coffee pot, Jack and Ianto actually talking (a lot) aaaaaand of course lots of fluff, because this is what we are all here for after all :')
> 
> I dedicate this chapter to two really good friends because they have convinced me to completely rewrite a scene and it really did turn out a lot better and now is one of my favourite scenes I ever wrote. Hope you two like it xx

Ianto didn’t even have to wait an hour for the notice that both UNIT and the team were on their way to the hub, the scene cleared, the spaceship secured and witnesses retconned and fed with a cover story. He made some coffee and filled it in a thermos flask for when the team came back to the hub and texted Jack asking him to tell them that he had to leave earlier because of dinner with his family.

Arriving at his flat a short while later, Ianto checked the time – he had a good fifty minutes until Jack would pick him up - enough time for a shower and to decide what he should wear… maybe even too much time.  Maybe he shouldn’t have taken Jack up on his offer to go home early … _no_. Jack had been persistent that they go on their date tonight and Ianto didn’t want to take any more risks that could prevent them from going out. And after all, he still didn’t know if he should wear the dark blue shirt or the dark red one, or which tie to wear, let alone the suit. He knew the restaurant and what dress code was acceptable, even though he’d never been there. Ianto let out a sigh and ran his hand through his hair. He hadn’t been this nervous since –

_Oh._

Realization struck him. This would be his first proper date in over a year. The last time he went on a date, it was with Lisa. He had finally managed to get some over prized tickets for a concert she had desperately wanted to go to, a few nights before the battle. His eyes wandered over to the picture of Lisa and himself that was standing on his dresser. They wear both smiling in that photo. It had always been her favourite one of them.

He forced himself to swallow the lump in his throat. That was in the past.

He still loved Lisa – he knew that he would always love her, but tonight was about him and Jack. Things had changed, _everything_ in his life had changed. Ianto didn’t want to spend the evening thinking about what he had lost. He needed a clear head. He took a deep breath, broke his gaze from the photograph and forced himself to think about Jack and how nervous Jack had seemed when he had asked Ianto out on this date and how determined Jack had been the past week about the date. Ianto smiled at that memory. Yes, this evening would be about him and Jack, and just them. It was what the both seemed to not only want, but need as well at the moment.

It didn’t take Ianto as long as he thought to get ready, so that he still had twenty-five minutes to spare and think about what to wear. He tried on several suits and almost settled on another new one that Jack didn’t know yet, but in the end he decided on one of Jack’s favourites – including the dark red shirt and purple tie.

He looked at his watch. Still ten minutes left. Not enough time to make and enjoy a coffee. Maybe Jack would be early? Probably not, Ianto thought, not when they had that much to do. Nervously, he paced through his flat, itching to do something. For a moment Ianto felt bad for just leaving the hub like that, without helping them with putting the rift junk away. Oh god, he hoped none of them would get the idea of just dumping it in his archives! But Tosh and Jack knew and respected that the archives were his domain, he usually could count on them to not just drop something off where it didn’t belong.

Ianto stopped in front of a mirror and once again checked his outfit. Was this really the best choice? Red was his colour, but wasn’t it a bit too … forward to wear something that both he and Jack knew was one of Jack’s favourite outfits? Maybe he should change again?

No. It wouldn’t do any good. _Calm down_ , he told himself. It would be alright, it was Jack after all. He wanted this date with Jack. It was his moment. Jack had already asked him out. They both wanted this. Ianto chuckled and shook his head. Hell, he fought aliens for a living. He would survive a date with Jack Harkness.

 

It was ten minutes past seven, when Ianto heard a knock on his door. He knew that Jack had a key to his apartment – which was probably how he got into the building in the first place. But now, Jack was knocking on his door, and it was a polite knock, not the way Jack usually knocked on door: loud and demanding. It made Ianto smile. He straightened his tie and jacket one last time and then went to open the door.

Jack was standing in front of his door, wearing a dark blue suit, one hand in his pocket, the other behind his back. Ianto could only stare.

“Well, _hello_ _gorgeous_ ,” Jack grinned and gave Ianto a once over.

“Really? You’re going for ‘gorgeous’?” Ianto smirked and raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, I’m an old romantic, and you haven’t even seen the flowers yet.” Jack winked and with one swift motion moved his hand from behind his back to present the most ridiculous and over the top flower bouquet that Ianto had ever seen in his life, almost entirely made up of red roses.

Ianto’s eyes moved from the flowers back to Jack’s face, who was smirking. “Too romantic for a first date?” Jack asked and handed Ianto the bouquet.

Ianto took the flowers awkwardly and said the first thing that came to his mind. “I don’t have a vase, Jack.”

“What?”

“I’m serious, I don’t own a flower vase.”

“Who doesn’t own a flower vase?”

“Do _you_ own a flower vase?” Ianto countered.

“Well, I’m sure there is one somewhere in the hub.”

“Doesn’t count, and proves my point precisely. Now come on in, while I try to find something to put these in for now.”

Ianto ended up putting the bouquet in a coffee pot, since it was too big to fit in any glass he had. He frowned at the unusual use of his coffee pot and Jack must have seen his face because in that moment he heard Jack chuckling from where he was standing in the kitchen entrance.

“Oh, come on, Ianto, I’m sure the flowers will survive one night like this. We have plans to uphold!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Ianto nodded and collected his phone and keys and followed Jack out of his apartment. “Some things just shouldn’t go where coffee usually belongs into, Jack. I can’t _believe_ I don’t have a vase.”

Jack chuckled. “Will you and your coffee pot survive?”

“Just barely,” Ianto shook his head and smiled. “Thank you, for – for the flowers. They are really, um, nice. I hadn’t expected that.”

“I live to surprise and impress,” Jack smiled as he opened the car door for Ianto.

 

The car ride to the restaurant wasn’t long and they ultimately talked about work – Ianto asking if everything went over smoothly and Jack complaining about UNIT and their lack of competence. It almost felt like a normal evening spent with Jack for those few minutes, talking about work and aliens with one of the only people who understood the weirdness of it all. It wasn’t until Jack parked the car in the parking lot in front of the City Hall and the National Museum and they got out of the car for the short walk through a small park to the restaurant that the nervousness returned.

They were walking close, shoulders occasionally brushing, but hands in their pockets. Jack kept the conversation going, for which Ianto was very thankful. He wouldn’t have known what to talk to about with Jack that wasn’t directly linked to their work, but Jack managed to talk about anything and nothing like only he could. Once they reached the restaurant, Jack held the door open for Ianto and they were soon lead to a table in the corner of the restaurant, next to the windows.

Ianto couldn’t help but watch Jack from behind his menu, as Jack studied the wine card. This was definitely a date, Ianto thought. He was actually on a date with Jack.

In that moment Jack looked up from the wine card and met Ianto’s eyes. “Enjoying the view?” Jack asked with a knowing grin.

“Yep, I do,” Ianto replied, deciding to play along. After all, Jack had already caught him staring.

“Candlelight really suits you,” Jack said and added, “You look beautiful.”

A smile spread on his lips. For a moment, Ianto was at loss for words. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had called him beautiful, handsome, maybe, or good looking, but never beautiful. This wasn’t Jack’s usual flirting with him – that he was used to and could easily handle. This was Jack giving him a just a compliment as it is, no apparent other intention behind it. “Thank you, Jack,” he replied quietly, before lowering his gaze again, slightly overwhelmed all out of the sudden.

Jack must have noticed because he didn’t linger on it and instead changed the topic and asked what Ianto would order in order to choose a good wine, and from there on Ianto was able to relax a bit again and enjoy the conversation with Jack. They enjoyed the drinks and the (very) good wine (Jack switched back to water after a glass), laughed together and surprisingly easily changed from one topic to another without having to consciously try to find something to talk about. Ianto noticed how good of a date Jack really was. Ianto never was much of a talker, always more the quiet one, the one that preferred listening, but he found that with Jack, here and right now, it was _easy_ and it felt _right_. Where at work Jack would every so often just ignore his team or only spoke to them or let them speak to him when needed, or tended to dominate conversations when they had lunch together or all went out to the pub, he now made sure that he included Ianto, made sure to ask Ianto questions and gave him the room to talk and share his thoughts.

The conversation slowed a little once their food arrived. Both sighed in pleasure, pleased with the good choice of a restaurant for their date. Ianto let Jack steal a piece of fish from his plate to try, but he drew the line when Jack tried to feed him something from his plate – they were in a _really_ nice restaurant after all. Jack just laughed it off and told him that really missed out, but Ianto just smiled and shrugged.

Seeing Jack here, in this very nice and romantic restaurant, in a proper suit no less, and on a date with _him_ out of all people, was something Ianto might have hoped for, but never really thought would or could actually happen. Jack giving him this evening out with – spending time with Ianto, paying attention to him, when Jack could be out there in the universe with the Doctor or even John Hart, living in the future or going on adventures and yet he chose to spend his time with Ianto. It seemed so uncharacteristic for Jack to do just that, when only months ago he was so eager to leave them all behind without even as much as a goodbye. It made Ianto wonder, why – with all these possibilities – Jack was here with him. Would he leave again? What would happen after this date?

 

“Ianto?” Jack’s voice suddenly interrupted his train of thought.

“Jack?” Ianto replied, not quite understanding what Jack was trying to say.

“Look at me. What’s going through your head?” Jack asked softly. “You’ve been quiet for the past few minutes. Is something wrong?”

Ianto looked Jack straight in the eyes and swallowed. He hadn’t realized that they hadn’t said anything for several minutes. He took a deep breath. In a sense it was a now or never situation for Ianto, he still had an unanswered question left – he still didn’t know exactly what kind of outcome Jack intended of this date. He had told himself over and over again in the time that Jack was gone that, if Jack would return (which he had doubted more often than not), he wouldn’t jump right back to what he had with Jack before he left, no matter what he possibly felt or not felt for him. It hadn’t been healthy for him during the last few weeks before Jack had left and he knew that he didn’t want to feel like that again, so lost and alone.

“Look, Jack, I don’t have any qualms with saying that you look really good in that suit – because you do and you know that – or having dinner with you. But this is just something else, isn’t it?” Ianto asked, slightly breathless. “It’s never been like _this_.” He gestured between them.

“You … once said, that you didn’t do relationships at the workplace.” Ianto said hesitantly. “I was your part time shag and you were mine. It was just sex – and I was fine with all that for a long time. But what changed now? I mean, did anything change? I mean-” Ianto stopped as he realized that he was rambling and looked down at his plate. “Why did you ask me out on a date _now_? You never seemed the type for a relationship, not in recent years anyway, I don’t … want to assume anything.” His voice grew quieter as he spoke.

“I’m sorry,” Jack said after a few moments.

A breath got stuck in Ianto’s throat. So nothing had changed after all, Ianto thought. It was just that one night. He wished he hadn’t said anything. “Oh.” Ianto tried to hide his disappointment, but he knew that he didn’t quite manage it.

“Oh, no! Ianto, that’s not what I meant!” Jack added quickly and reached over the table to take Ianto’s hand in his.

Ianto hesitantly looked back up at Jack, but he didn’t dare to say anything.

“I’m sorry, if I gave you the impression that I wasn’t serious about all this,” Jack gestured between them with his other hand. “I wouldn’t have asked you out on a date, if I wasn’t serious. I don’t remember the last time that I was so nervous about asking someone something!”

Ianto still didn’t say anything, but even if he wanted to, he didn’t think that he could bring out a single word at this moment.

“You’re right. I haven’t been in a relationship for a long time – deliberately. Because I know how it will end – everyone and everything around me will be gone sooner or later and that will never change. I chose to try and save both me and the people around me the inevitable pain and heartbreak.” Jack smiled sadly. “Of course, that rarely worked.”

“I- I’m sorry, Jack.”

“It’s not your fault.” Jack shook his head and sighed. “The Doctor said I’m a fixed point in time and space. I will literally _always_ be here. There’s no way to fix it – to fix _me_.”

“But he’s the Doctor!” Ianto exclaimed. “Isn’t he supposed to fix .. things?”

“Yeah, but we both know that sometimes he won’t fix everything or save everyone. Sometimes he isn’t on time.” Jack paused and Ianto swallowed. They were both thinking about the same thing. “And sometimes even the Doctor runs away.”

“What did he do to you, Jack?” Ianto asked with dread.

Jack’s eyes shone in the candlelight. “He abandoned me, called me wrong,” He said quietly after a moment of hesitation. “He can’t stand to be around me. He isn’t the same man that I once knew – or he was never the man that I thought he was.” Jack sighed and shrugged. “It doesn’t matter now.”

Ianto swallowed. “You’re right. It doesn’t matter. Because the Doctor is wrong. You’re not wrong. There isn’t _anything_ wrong with you, Jack.”

Jack shook his head slightly and sighed. “You asked, what changed, Ianto. A lot of things did. I was away for a year. You’re lucky that you can’t remember all the terrible things that happened in that year - the end of the world had never been that near.”

Ianto watched him with wide eyes, his grip around Jack’s hand tightening.

“I was held prisoner,” Jack continued after a few moments. “The Doctor, too, and they knew that I couldn’t die. So they all found a new sport. Tortured me. Killed me. See how long I’d last. I’ve seen … terrible things happening to the people around me and to the people on this earth. There was so much death. _Everyone_ died but me.” Jack’s voice was quavering.

Ianto took a deep breath. He hadn’t expected _this_. “I’m so sorry, Jack,” he said quietly, not really trusting his own voice.

“One day, I might tell you the whole story, but I… I just wanted it to end and to come home. Come back to Cardiff, to Torchwood and _to you_ , specifically. Just thinking about you and even the slightest possibility that I’d come back and see you well and alive kept me through all that.” Jack paused for a moment and looked down at their joined hands.

“Nothing will ever be able to fix me, I won’t change, I’ll always come back and time and life goes on around me and life is full of once in a life time chances – even or especially for me. So I decided that for once, I’ll live, instead of just letting everyone around me die.” Jack looked up to meet Ianto’s eyes. “I did come back for you, you know. And I want this thing between us to work out. I want it to be more than it was before I left. I care about you. I don’t know how long it will last – we’re Torchwood after all, but I wanted to give it a shot as long as it is still possible, you understand me? It’s gonna hurt either way, so why not make the best out of it? It’s only ever been you for more than a year and it already took me long enough to realize that. And I really hope that it isn’t too late.”

“Oh, Jack,” Ianto whispered. Jack looked to hopeful, so serious, with that sadness in his eyes. Ianto knew that Jack had meant every word he said to Ianto and it broke his heart, that Jack had to go through so many terrible things and that Ianto had even doubted him and his intentions. “You asked me out on a date. I said yes, so I’d say you aren’t too late. Late, yes, perhaps. But not too late.”

That brought a small smile on Jack’s face. “Lucky me then.”

“Definitely.”

“You okay now?”

“Yeah, _I am_ , but are you, Jack?” Ianto asked worried. “After all you had to go through…”

“Right now, at this very moment, I am more than okay.” Jack shrugged. “All the other times… probably not, but I’m back here now, with you. I’ll get there eventually.”

Ianto looked at him for a few moments. “Okay,” he eventually simply said.

“Okay? No more questions?” Jack looked surprised.

“Well,” Ianto started and shrugged. “I do have more questions, I’m curious and I’m worried about you, Jack. And I want to know if your _partner_ John Hart will be causing trouble again anytime soon and what he meant with what he said before he disappeared, but as it is, I don’t think it’s relevant for this evening and I trust you, when you say that you’ll try to tell me eventually.” Ianto sighed. “I know that something traumatic like that isn’t something you can work through in just a few days or even weeks. I understand, Jack, and I’m glad that you explained as much as you did.”

“I… you’re amazing, you know that?”

“Well, I try my best.”

“Yeah, you do.”

“But Jack, don’t lie about this to me please? I … get that sometimes you think you may have to lie about certain things when it comes to Torchwood or your past and I can let that pass. This is different though, isn’t it? Don’t tell me if you don’t want to, but don’t lie to me. Don’t pretend to be okay, when you’re not.”

“I’ll try.”

“That’s all I’m asking.”

They sat like that, still holding hands, just looking at each other, the rest of their now cold food forgotten.

“Have you finished?” Jack broke the silence eventually. “I assume we’re going to skip desert in favour of popcorn later?”

Ianto chuckled. “Yeah, definitely.”

He felt lighter, in a way, after having this talk behind him and knowing that even if neither of them really knew where they would end up in the end, they were both sincere about it. Jack had been nothing but honest with him, even though reliving some of his memories obviously hadn’t been easy for him and even though Ianto wasn’t sure he really understood all of what Jack had told him, but it was more than he had expected, if he was honest with himself.

 

The check was paid, the waitress smiled at them and wished them a nice night and Jack held the door open for Ianto. Outside, Ianto waited a moment for Jack to catch up with him and, after a moment of hesitation, held his hand out. He tried not to hold his breath, tried to ignore the tingle of nervousness in his stomach at this gesture, he did his best to _not_ think about whether or not Jack actually did the whole holding hands thing. But Jack’s smile only got wider and without even a hint of hesitation he took Ianto’s hand and gave it a squeeze. Ianto breathed out again in relief even though he hadn’t meant to hold his breath and the nervous tingle in his stomach was replaced by welcome warmth.

Jack didn’t comment on it, but later, on their way from Jack’s car to the theatre, Jack was the one who reached out first and took Ianto’s hand in his. He didn’t let go of Ianto’s hand until he had to pay for the tickets and their snacks, and Ianto didn’t stop smiling.

 

“Isn’t it a bit pretentious to go to the cinema to watch James Bond wearing suits, Jack?” Ianto asked as they walked into the theatre and went over to their seats (last row, Ianto noticed, and one of those loveseats for two people with no armrest in the middle).

Jack laughed. “You love it.”

They sat down, with the popcorn between them. Ianto looked at Jack and grinned. “I always wanted to do that.”

“Then this must be your lucky night.” Jack suggestively

“Yup,” Ianto simply said, “It really is.”

Around them the theatre slowly filled with more people, while Ianto and Jack talked about their favourite Bond movies  - which ended in a light hearted debate of who the best Bond actor was (Jack kept insisting on it being Roger Moore, Ianto was adamant on Pierce Brosnan, with Sean Connery as a close second favourite), that only came to a halt when the movie started playing.

Ianto enjoyed watching the movie – which probably had more to do with Jack right next to him, whispering back in forth with him about the movie and Jack’s hand that had landed in his leg at some point, than with the actual movie. Watching this movie with Jack – it wasn’t exciting, it wasn’t something extraordinary in the classic sense, it was rather cliché all in all, but for Ianto it was perfect. Jack was back after all, at his side and they were out together on a completely _normal_ date, like _normal_ people, without any interference from aliens or the rift. The entire night Jack had paid attention to him, noticed when there was something on his mind and actually _talked_ to Ianto.

After the past few months of missing Jack and trying not to, of being angry with him and feeling utterly alone and lost, Ianto finally felt good again, like he would finally be able to find his place, not only in Torchwood, but on Jack’s side as well.

 

When the credits played, Ianto looked at Jack with a soft smile only to find Jack already mustering him. Ianto shook his head bemused and reached out and picked a few pieces of popcorn from Jack’s jacket.

“Oh, thanks.”

“Really, you eat like a child when it comes to popcorn.”

“It’s _popcorn_ , I can’t help myself. No one eats popcorn without ending up just stuffing it in their mouth!” Jack immediately defended himself. “Even you! I watched you, Jones, Ianto Jones! Don’t deny it!”

“But I don’t get popcorn all over my clothes, Jack!”

But Jack only laughed and chose that moment to pick some popcorn from Ianto’s shirt. “You were saying?”

“I- hmpf.”

“Yes?”

“My point still stands!”

“No, it doesn’t, and you know it.” Jack leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss on Ianto’s lips. “You’re still very cute, so don’t worry about it.” Jack winked at him, took Ianto’s hand and lead him out of the theatre, while Ianto’s heart skipped a beat and a blush and a wide smiled fought their way in his face.

 

Jack parked his car on the street and accompanied Ianto to the front door of his building, where they stopped and looked at each other, smiles on both faces.

“I’m not going to invite you in for coffee,” Ianto said bluntly.

“Oookay?” Jack looked at him in confusion.

“It’s just. I know what will happened when I do – don’t deny it, Jack – and I don’t think that that would be a good idea at the moment.”

“You don’t want to rush it, yeah, we talked about that.”

“Yeah.”

“And I told you that I understand. I left you, so now it’s your turn to decide how this will go on.”

Ianto snorted. “Are you ready for the rules of 21st century dating, Captain?”

“Try me.”

“Well, no sex on the first date, for once.”

“Yeah, I gathered as much, if you believe it or not.”

“There’ll have to be a least three good dates, and some even say five.” Ianto raised an eyebrow challengingly.

“Then I guess the question is - what counts as a good date?”

“Now that would be telling, wouldn’t it?”

“You’re teasing me, Mr. Jones.”

“I might just be,” Ianto smiled. “Now, I guess after the first date there would be that whole awkward asking for the number of the other and then trying to figure out how long one has to wait before they text the other to ask for the next date, but I have a feeling that we can skip that particular step.”

“Unless you changed your phone number, but that’s not the case, is it?”

Ianto laughed. “Jack you called me on my phone earlier, I haven’t changed my number.”

“So what else happens if the first date was a success?” Jack asked, waggling his eyebrows.

Ianto pretended to think for a few moments. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe you have to remind me, as you seem to already know the answer to that question.”

“Depends on if we agree whether this evening counts as a good date, as you put it.”

“I think we can both easily agree on _that_ , Jack,” Ianto smiled and stepped closer to Jack. He meant it. The evening had gone far better than he had expected and Jack had been nothing if not a gentleman all night long. “It was perfect.”

“I’m glad,” Jack murmured and placed both hands around Ianto’s face, pulled him closer and kissed him for the first time since that fateful kiss months ago – a year ago for Jack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> This chapter is definitely one of the things I am both really, really proud of and love a lot, while also having lots of doubts about it. Writing these really complex characters with their really complex relationship was a lot of fun, but it was also a challenge for me. I hope I did them justice.
> 
> (There's probably more that I want to say here at this point, but it's late, so I might save it for the epilogue tomorrow.)
> 
> Please let me know what you think :) x


	4. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is - the last bit!  
> It was actually one of the first scenes I wrote, it's light hearted, a little bit of fun. Basically, I just really want them to be happy :')

Ianto’s phone rang just when he drank the last sip of coffee. A smile formed on his lips, when he looked from the flowers (still in his coffee pot) to his phone and saw the caller ID.

“So, I found this website,” Jack started the moment Ianto answered the call, not bothering with any kind of greeting.

Ianto sighed. “I’m not sure if I want to hear the end of that sentence.”

“You have a dirty mind, Ianto.”

“Says you.”

“Oh, whatever. I found this website – some kind of girly teen magazine online site? And I found out that apparently girls should give the guys three days to text them and ask for another date and let the guy make the first step. Which frankly, I find a bit ridiculous, I mean three days? That’s a bit long, don’t you think? And why should the guy have to make the first step and not the girl? And nowhere did it say anything about who should be doing the first step after the first date if it’s two guys going out! I thought humanity had progressed from the stiff rules of courting of the last centuries! And you people are all wondering what I mean with the 21st century still being a bit backwards.”

Ianto chuckled. “Looks like you did your homework.”

“Well, tried to.”

“Do you want a gold star for that?”

“No, but I can think of something else you could give me.”

“Oh, I’m sure you can.” Ianto mused. “But, Jack, I’m not having the ‘who’s the girl in this relationship’ discussion with you, if that was the point you were trying to make.”

“It wasn’t. My point was that I’m calling you now, because I’m waiting outside, ready to take you out for a nice breakfast, after all it’s Saturday and still early enough that we would be back at the hub before anyone else comes in.”

Ianto smiled at Jack’s thoughtfulness. “I’m sensing an ulterior motive here, Jack.”

“Three seemed to be the magic number in my research,” Jack replied.

“Well, then I’m not counting a quick breakfast on the way to work as a date.”

Ianto heard Jack sigh dramatically. “Fair enough. Still interested though?”

He smiled at the hopeful tone in Jack’s voice. “Of course. I’ll be down in a minute.” He hung up the phone and put it in his pocket. He then pulled the curtains in his living room away to look out on the street. True to his word, Jack was standing outside, leaning against the black SUV, phone still in his hand. As if Jack had sensed Ianto watching him, he looked up and met Ianto’s gaze. Ianto could see a grin spreading out on Jack’s face that made Ianto’s heart flutter. Yes, Jack made him happy, he realized. And Jack seemed to act by his promises – doing this the way and in the pace Ianto set, while still being completely himself. Ianto smiled and shook his head, closing the curtains again and going to grab his jacket and his keys.

Jack was truly impossible and ridiculous at times, but that wasn’t that exactly why Ianto was falling so hard for him all over again?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading and sticking around, even when I took weeks and months to update! I really loved writing this fic and series.
> 
> I have one or two very vague ideas for one or two future parts that could/would touch on To The Last Man, Meat, and/or In The Shadows, but I'm working on other fics at the moment and don't have any concrete plans. Until I know, I'll leave this series as incomplete.
> 
> English isn't my native language and this series means a lot to me and I worked on it for such a long time, so I'd love to hear what you think :)
> 
> I'm on tumblr: [teaboyofficeboy](http://teaboyofficeboy.tumblr.com/)


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